Editing Sibylline Oracles (section)

==Introduction==
The ''Sibylline Oracles'' in their existing form are a chaotic medley. They consist of 12 books (or 14) of various authorship, date, and religious conception. The final arrangement, thought to be due to an unknown editor of the 6th century AD (Alexandre), does not determine identity of authorship, time, or religious belief; many of the books are merely arbitrary groupings of unrelated fragments.{{sfn|Cheyne|Black|1899}}

These oracles were anonymous in origin and as such were apt to modification and enlargement at pleasure by Hellenistic Jews and by Christians for missionary purposes. [[Celsus]] called Christians {{lang|grc|Σιβυλλισται}} ('sibyl-mongers' or 'believers in sibyls') because of prophecies preached among them, especially those in the book of Revelation. The preservation of the entire collection is due to Christian writers.{{sfn|Cheyne|Black|1899}}